Workers Center for Racial Justice

WCRJ is a grassroots organization fighting for Black Liberation and for a fair and inclusive society that benefits all people. We organize marginalized Black workers and their families to address the root causes of the high rates of unemployment, low-wage work and over-criminalization plaguing Black communities. To do this, we focus on direct action organizing, policy advocacy, leadership development and voter engagement at the municipal and state levels, with the objective of building a caring economy and society that allow Black people to reach their full human potential.

WCRJ News and Updates

On Tuesday, the Workers Center for Racial Justice (WCRJ) hosted the 2018 Forum for Safety and Liberation in collaboration with the Center for Racial and Gender Equity (CRGE) and Black PAC. We were joined by nearly one hundred local residents for a public dialogue on how communities can build safe and free neighborhoods by dismantling anti-Black systems of police occupation and mass incarceration, and investing in initiatives that promote equity and liberation for people of color.... (Read More)

At the end of the legislative session, the Illinois State House and Senate passed two dangerous bills, which would undermine the safety and liberation of Black community members across the state. This legislation represents the latest attempt by Mayor Emanuel to amass political leverage by promoting anti-Black “law-and-order” legislation. Released by the mayor’s office as so-called “public safety” measures, these bills would fail in their purported attempt to promote the security and well-being of local residents... (Read More)

This afternoon, the Illinois General Assembly passed HB 4469, a critical bill that would take steps to promote more equitable voting rights for the hundreds of thousands of disenfranchised Black residents who are targeted by the criminal justice system at disproportionately high rates... (Read more)

In recognition of Mother’s Day, our comrades at the Movement for Black Lives (M4BL) are joining the National Bail Out Collective for the second annual Black Mama’s Bail Out. During this week-long campaign, grassroots organizations around the country will leverage community dollars to post bail for Black mothers, so that they are able to reunite with their families on Mother’s Day. This action is part of a larger movement to end money bond and abolish the racist, inhumane and unconstitutional practice of pretrial detention nationwide...(Read more)

Facing an ever expanding field of challengers in the upcoming municipal election, incumbent Rahm Emanuel has once again turned to a familiar page in his unscrupulous political playbook, which calls for the exploitation of Black Chicagoans as electoral cannon fodder... (Read more)

Last week, the Illinois House of Representatives passed HB 4469, a critical bill that would take steps to promote more equitable voting rights for the hundreds of thousands of disenfranchised Black residents who are targeted by the criminal justice system at disproportionately high rates ... (Read more)

On Tuesday, August 7th, WCRJ will host the 2018 Forum for Safety and Liberation from 6:00 - 8:00 pm at 7415 South East End Avenue in Chicago. We will be convening local residents, activists, elected officials and candidates running for governor for a public dialogue on alternatives to creating safe communities outside of racialized policing and mass incarceration ... (Read more)

Last Friday, the Workers Center for Racial Justice (WCRJ) participated in an intensive training on workplace sexual harassment and assault facilitated by Healing to Action. During this full day workshop, WCRJ staff explored the root causes and structural impacts of gender based violence, and developed skills to support systems-level resistance to abuse against female workers ... (Read more)

Last week, U.S. Representative Danny Davis (IL-07) introduced the Bail Fairness Act of 2018, which would prohibit states from imposing monetary conditions of release upon individuals charged with nonviolent misdemeanors. This federal bill seeks to remedy the unconstitutional and racially biased practice of detaining people who have not been convicted of a crime, solely on the basis of their inability to post bail ... (Read more)

Last week Illinois passed a criminal justice reform bill that sets forth measures to ensure more humane, equitable and responsive conditions for women detained in state prisons. The signing of House Bill 1479 follows the passage of the Women’s Correctional Services Act late last year. Sponsored by State Representative Juliana Stratton, these two pieces of joint legislation establish a Women’s Division within the Illinois Department of Corrections and implement gender-responsive and trauma-informed programs to better address the particular challenges faced by women involved in the state prison system ... (Read more)

This past Sunday, the Workers Center for Racial Justice (WCRJ), in partnership with Southsiders Organized for Unity and Liberation (SOUL), Action Now, A Just Harvest, and BlackRoots Alliance, held the 2018 King Day Commemoration and Public Meeting at Trinity United Church of Christ. Over 300 community members, activists and faith leaders convened to honor the life and vision of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and to give voice to critical community concerns, including police accountability, criminal justice reform, economic equity, and education justice... (Read more)

We are reaching out to invite you to participate in an upcoming forum to address critical issues at the core of our fight for racial justice and Black liberation. On Sunday, January 14th, WCRJ will co-host the "2018 King Day Commemoration and Public Meeting" from 2:30-4:30pm at Trinity United Church of Christ. In collaboration with Southsiders Organized for Unity and Liberation (SOUL), BlackRoots Alliance, Action Now, and A Just Harvest, we will hold a public dialogue on our most urgent community concerns, including criminal justice reform, economic equity, voting rights, and education justice... (Read more)